Gerry Sayer & Michael Daunt
Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2022 11:12 am
Have been reading a lot about Frank Whittle's travails (more like a Greek tragedy in truth) and two test pilots that emerge with honour from that story are the two above mentioned men.
Gerry Sayer flew Britain's maiden jet flight and his soon (tragically) to be replacement, Michael Daunt, took the only know photo's of the flight.
Gerry Sayer
After a number of narrow scrapes, Daunt decided that he had used up his nine lives and became a farmer, and then a hospital technician. He must have had some stories to tell...
Neil Michael Daunt
Gerry Sayer flew Britain's maiden jet flight and his soon (tragically) to be replacement, Michael Daunt, took the only know photo's of the flight.
Gerry Sayer
After the loss of Gerry Sayer, Michael Daunt took over as chief test pilot at Gloster aircraft.Gerry Sayer was born on February 2nd,1905 and was educated at Colchester Grammar School, obtaining a short-service commision in the RAF in June 1924. After learning to fly in an Avro 504K, he flew Snipes and Gladiators, hist outstanding qualities asa pilot resulting in an appointment as test pilot at Martlesham Heath.
He left the RAF on the completion of his 5 year commission to join the Hawker Company,and was appointed as assistant to Group Captain P.W.S Bulman. Here he was engaged in testing Harts,Furies and other aircraft, and on the acquisition of the Gloster Aircraft Company by the Hawker Group, was appointed in 1935 as Chief Test Pilot of the Gloster Company.
Gerry Sayer flew Britain's maiden jet flight in Sir Frank Whittles's Gloster E.28/39 on the 15th May 1941.
On 21st October 1942 Sayer departed from RAF Acklington in a Typhoon to carry out tests of a gunsight involving gun firing into Druridge Bay Ranges, he never returned.
from WikiNeill Michael Daunt OBE (23 October 1909 – 26 July 1991) was a British test pilot; the first person to fly the Gloster Meteor in March 1943, Britain's first production jet aircraft. He was the second person to fly the Gloster E.28/39 "Pioneer" (Britain's first jet aircraft) in November 1942. He had many severe accidents that he was lucky to survive, including one for which he had no recollection.
After a number of narrow scrapes, Daunt decided that he had used up his nine lives and became a farmer, and then a hospital technician. He must have had some stories to tell...
Neil Michael Daunt